Pewag comes up with pioneering smart bike lock Serea

It is very annoying to find that your expensive e-bike has suddenly disappeared. Therefore, a good bike lock that is difficult to break open is essential to protect your bike from theft.

Austrian chain manufacturer Pewag is now competing with market leaders like Abus and Kryptonite, launching Serea, a pioneering battery-free smart lock with intelligent NFC technology. The bike lock is easy to operate with a smartphone and impressed at Eurobike in Frankfurt, the world’s biggest cycling trade show.

Without battery

If used correctly, a good bike lock reduces the risk of theft by 90%. However, with most bike locks currently on the market, you always need that pesky little key, or you must cover up extra to avoid forgetting your lock’s numerical code.

The significant advantage of Serea, which stands for Secure, Reliable, and Easy, is that you don’t need a physical key or numerical code at all: the bike lock can be opened with a single click via the smartphone app.

However, what is unique about this electric lock, which sets it apart from other intelligent bike locks such as BitLock, Skylock, or Noke U-Lock, is that it does not require a battery that must be charged regularly.

Locking and unlocking can be done at the touch of a button in the app. It is done using NFC, the technology we also know from contactless payments. NFC allows devices to share information with each other securely and wirelessly within a short distance.

Easy to share

The lock, covered with a particular fabric to prevent scratches on the bike and extra protection against bolt cutters, is first locked manually by pressing the lock parts together.

This preloads a special spring, which is used to reopen the lock after unlocking it via the app. In this way, only a tiny amount of energy is needed to unlock the lock.

Another plus is that this digital key, which is cryptographically secured in the same way as paying with a smartphone, can also be passed on, making it easier to share your bike with others too.

The lock will be available from January 2025. The price has not yet been announced.